Millions are likely to lose health insurance, and there is no credible data that imposing such rules would save money. They would hurt rural communities and red states as much as blue ones.
State agencies are trying to address technical shortcomings that led to as much as $135 billion in fraud during the pandemic. But declining and volatile federal funding for administration is impeding those efforts.
The Supreme Court seems likely to curtail federal agencies’ interpretations of laws passed by Congress, but Washington bureaucrats have another way to exercise unaccountable power over state and local governments. States and localities can fight back.
Biden’s budget would provide billions, along with heavy-handed regulation, but it won’t expand the supply. The way to build more housing and tame prices is for states to encourage local innovation.
Congress could enable cities to employ tax-exempt bonds to help stabilize their office tax bases in a way that’s friendly to both taxpayers and the IRS. There might already be opportunities for brave mayors and crafty public financiers.
Today’s interest rates may tempt public financiers to try to play the spread between tax-exempt and taxable bond yields. That invites heightened federal scrutiny, but there are some strategies likely to avoid the bite of the IRS.
Cities and counties all over the country exceed the new standard. A lack of detailed measurement data will leave many states flying blind.
Billions of dollars in tax-sheltered municipal bonds are sold to fund stadiums and arenas that enrich team owners while fueling federal deficits. Local politicians can’t say no, but Congress should.
Ten states have yet to expand eligibility under the Affordable Care Act. Doing so would save lives, improve financial well-being, save states money and support regional economies.
They should. Charters schools aren’t magic, and plenty of them are worse than the average public school. But on average, charters are superior.
The arguments over border sovereignty have never died away in more than two centuries of American life. Now they are coming to the forefront again.
Fifteen states are not participating in a program to provide meals to school-age children over the summer, due to administrative costs or ideological opposition.
Our federalism expert makes predictions about climate and the culture wars and how states will take the lead in policy in 2024. He also owns up to what he got right — and wrong — over the past year.
Wealthier, healthier states receive far more than those with fewer taxable resources and less healthy populations. Congress could do a lot to narrow this fairness gap.
Localities have always been creatures of state government. But their freedom to act independently is up against ever more stringent limits.
There are no easy solutions to America’s growing immigration challenges, but Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and New York Mayor Eric Adams should be recognized for the decisive action they have taken.
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